So Much Sunshine in the Square Inch
by Safaia
Summary: Post-Season One: "We need your help," Clarice said. "The Purifiers have taken someone and we want to make sure we get them back. Our powers are all largely defensive and you two are offensive. We want them back with as little bloodshed as possible." Lorna felt her heart sink as she looked between the three of them. "Where is Marcos?" Lorna asked. "Tell me everything."


**So Much Sunshine to the Square Inch**

"_Some people are so much sunshine to the square inch." ― Walt Whitman_

Lorna didn't know how John managed to get ahold of her but she guessed if anyone could find them it was him. For the last three months her and the rest of the Hellfire Club were in hiding. Everyone was looking for them ever since someone managed to figure out that a mutant tore the engines from the jet off. There were reports saying that her Dad had returned but, so far, no one had pinned it exactly on her. Instead they pinned it on all mutants which lead to more violence. It meant that there were new attacks and more angry mutants reaching out to her for help. Lorna had silently wondered if the Mutant Underground was experiencing new recruits as well. The sound of Marcos screaming for her to stop echoed in Lorna's dreams but she did her best to push it from her mind.

The notice from John asked that just her and Andy meet him at the diner. He said that if he saw anyone else coming or following them the meeting would be off. He didn't say what he needed or what he wanted to talk about but considering the radio silence for months Lorna figured it was important. Andy shifted in the seat as they drove to the diner. He told her that he didn't regret his decision but Lorna could tell that he missed his parents and Lauren far more than he was letting on. Lorna missed everyone too but she tried not to think about it. The Frost sisters looked at her like she was about to bolt any day most of the time. Lorna didn't know how to tell them that she was committed to this no matter what so she stopped trying to convince them and they stopped asking.

"Did John say who would be at this meeting?" Andy asked.

"He didn't," Lorna replied. "He just asked for us and if anyone was following us they wouldn't be there when we walked through the door."

"So Clarice will be there," Andy said and Lorna nodded. She wasn't sure if she wanted Marcos to be there or not. The idea of looking into his eyes and having to walk away again made Lorna feel a little sick. Their daughter, and she was sure the baby was a girl, kicked at the idea of being near her father like she knew. Lorna placed a hand over her stomach, she was starting to show, and tried to calm down her pounding heart.

Lorna and Andy walked into the diner and Lorna tried not to be a little relieved that Marcos was nowhere in sight. Instead John, Clarice, and Lauren all sat in a booth drinking coffee and talking quietly to each other. John looked up and watched Lorna and Andy join them in the booth and ordered two more coffees. The waitress brought them the coffee, which neither of them touched, and the five of them sat together in uncomfortable silence.

"Thank you for coming," John said after a long moment. "You both look well."

"We are," Lorna said. Andy and Lauren were staring at each other and Lorna wondered if they were having some weird sibling conversation that no one could understand but them. "What's the purpose of this meeting? I thought we decided to go our separate ways." John and Clarice exchanged a glance and then looked back at her.

"We need your help," Clarice said. "The Purifiers have taken someone and we want to make sure we get them back. Our powers are all largely defensive and you two are offensive. We want them back with as little bloodshed as possible." Lorna felt her heart sink as she looked between the three of them. Marcos wasn't here and he wasn't a coward. He would face her if he was able to and he wasn't here.

"Where is Marcos?" Lorna asked. "Tell me everything."

_Several hours earlier..._

Marcos swore loudly in Spanish as he tried to push the van he was driving to go faster. There were multiple pickup trucks following him and while it didn't look like Sentinel Services that didn't mean they weren't in danger. He had a family in the back of the van and he was trying to get them to safety. There was no way these trucks were going to let him do that. One of the trucks pulled ahead of the fan and started to slow down. Marcos looked out his window and saw someone motioning him to roll down his window. He didn't but he could still hear what they were saying. 

"Stop the van or we'll run you off the road," he said. Marcos clenched his fists on the steering wheel and looked over his shoulder at the mother cuddling three young mutant children with her.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I have to pull over," he said. "Do not get out of this van no matter what happens. Do you understand me?" She nodded and Marcos pulled a burner phone out of his pocket and managed to hide it under the seat. "Call John if anything happens to me." The trucks were slowing down even more and Marcos pulled off to the side of the road. He could feel the light in his veins and it wanted out but as the trucks surrounded him he could see that these people were armed. They could fire on the car and hit someone. He couldn't attack and he couldn't defend like John or Lorna or Lauren could. He couldn't do anything.

"Come out before we make you come out," one of the men yelled and Marcos set the keys to the van on the seat. The mother crawled along the floor and got ahold of them.

"Lock the door as soon as I leave," he said.

"But what about you?" she asked but Marcos didn't answer. He opened the door and stepped out of the van. As soon as it closed behind him he heard the lock and felt a little better.

"We know about you," the man who looked like the leader of this group said. "Put your hands on your head and lace your fingers together. We see a flicker of light and we put a bullet in your kneecap."

"I'm cooperating and there's no need for violence," Marcos said as he put his hands on his head. "What do you want? You aren't Sentinel Services unless they got a serious budget reduction. Purifiers I'm guessing."

"Good guess," the man said as he walked toward Marcos. He was a little taller than Marcos and when he smiled it looked wicked. "Step away from the van or we'll pry the doors open and get to that precious family you have in there." Marcos tried to hide how much he didn't want to follow this person but he didn't have a choice. He had to keep those people safe no matter the cost. Marcos followed the leader and watched as he was slowly surrounded by people who didn't know what trigger discipline was. Someone was going to get shot and it was probably going to be him. One of the men behind him kicked Marcos' knee and he fell to the ground. He didn't put out his hands to break his fall and managed to hide the wince.

"What do you want?" Marcos asked again. He saw out of the corner of his eye one of the back windows open just a crack. The mother was listening in to this conversation which was good. She knew she needed to get information if they were going to get away. No one seemed to be paying much attention to the van which is what he wanted.

"We don't take kindly to muties who bring down planes," he said casually and Marcos felt his heart skip a beat. Things were worse now that Lorna had brought down that plane and this was going to be one of the consequences.

"I didn't do that," Marcos replied carefully.

"That doesn't really matter. We want information from you and you're going to give it to us." The leader reached into a bag and pulled out a battered looking suppression collar. Marcos first instinct was to get away but someone pressed a gun to his head. "A rogue sentinel services agent told me a little story about a connection between the mutant known as Eclipse and the one who brought down the plane. He also got me this which is going to make this easier on everyone." Marcos could feel his hands beginning to light up but several Purifiers pointed their guns at the van. "One word from me and they'll light it up. They will slaughter those people in there no matter what you do. Come quietly and we'll let them live. You have my word."

"And what's that worth?" Marcos snapped and the leader smiled.

"It's all you've got. So what's it going to be? You might take some of us down, you might take all of us down, but all it takes is for one bullet to get through and hit someone in there. One of those kids. Are you willing to take that risk?" Marcos knew the answer before this man even finished talking. There was no way he was going to let innocent people die. The light on his hands faded and Marcos looked up at this man.

"I have your word that they'll live," he said and the man nodded. "I want to hear you say it. You will let them drive away from here without any issues if I come willingly."

"They will drive away from here with no issues. You have my word," he said. Marcos nodded and let these men put the collar around his neck. As it clicked into place it felt like someone had punched the air from his lungs. Marcos fell on his hands and knees and tried to get his breath back but he was powerless to react when one of the men grabbed him by the air and jabbed a needle into his neck. The world began to go dark as Marcos watched the men put their guns away. They were getting in their cars. As long as they got away it didn't matter. They were safe so he did his job.

Marcos fell into darkness.

"They let Linda and her three kids go freely," John said. "She called me as soon as they were clear of the area and she was hysterical. We got her and her kids to safety and then we started to look for him." Lorna could feel all the metal in the restaurant and it was taking considerable self control to keep from throwing it every direction.

"They took him to try and find me," Lorna said.

"It looks that way," Clarice said.

"Marcos doesn't know where I am," Lorna continued.

"So he doesn't have long," Lauren said. "Once they realize he doesn't know he's of no use to them alive. They'll kill him to make a point and then track someone else that knows about our connections to you." Lauren was clearly angry and she clenched the coffee mug so tightly Lorna thought she was going to break it. "Did you think you could bring down a plane and there wouldn't be far reaching consequences for everyone? Did you think you could just walk away with Turner out there who knows our connections?" Clarice put a hand on Lauren's arm but it didn't seem to calm her down. Lorna didn't have any answers to those questions. She didn't seem to have a voice at all right now.

"How long ago was he taken?" Andy asked.

"Just over twenty hours," John said. "We have a decent idea of where he is but Linda said this group was heavily armed. We need someone who can stop the bullets and someone who can break down the wall."

"We're in," Lorna said but she glanced at Andy to make sure he seemed okay with it. He nodded firmly; they might disagree with each other but one of their own was in trouble. Neither of them were willing to sit by and let that happen. Clarice smiled for the first time and John nodded.

"Then let's go. We don't know how much longer he has."

Marcos groaned as he managed to open up his eyes. For a moment he couldn't remember where he was or what happened but the feeling of being cut off was a stark reminder. There was a collar around his neck cutting him off from his powers. His hands were zip tied to a chair and so were his feet. His head hurt but not like someone had hit him. It was more of a headache like he was dehydrated and judging by how dry his mouth was it was probably a side effect of the drugs. He was in what looked like an abandoned auto garage and there were dark oil stains on the ground. The leader of the Purifers was walking over to him with a wicked smile. Marcos cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders to try and get the knot out of his muscles.

"Marcos Diaz, street name is Eclipse, and according the feds you used to run with cartel," he said. "Even if you weren't a mutie they were still want you behind bars."

"If it wasn't the x-gene then it was the whole "not being white" thing," Marcos replied and liked the way the various members in the room shifted like they were uncomfortable. Good, they should be.

"You don't get to claim the moral high ground when you were a leg breaker for the cartel," the leader snapped.

"You have me tied to a chair after threatening to murder a family, do you really think you can claim the high ground either?" Marcos asked. The man slapped him hard enough that Marcos felt his ear ring a little. The leader looked like he was about to pull a gun out and start shooting but managed to keep himself under control.

"Roger," one of the goons called from across the room. "Do you need us?"

"I got this," Roger said as he loomed over Marcos. "We have proof that you are attached to the mutant known as Lorna Dane aka Polaris. We know she is the only mutant who was in the area who could bring down a plane. We want to know where she is."

"And you think I know?" Marcos asked and he had to resist laughing out loud. Of course they took him for this, of course, and now he was absolutely going to die. "I don't know where Lorna is." Roger punched hard enough that Marcos tasted blood but he shook his head to try and clear his thoughts.

"You're going to tell us or it's going to get worse," Roger said as he pulled out brass knuckles.

"You really don't want to do that," Marcos said as he eyed the knuckles. "And I can't tell you what I don't know." That was not an answer good enough for Roger and the next punch left Marcos' head ringing. They hit him enough times that they were going to break skin and after one particular brutal hit Marcos could feel the blood gathering from his lips and mouth. Roger starred like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"I thought the collar negated his powers, why is he glowing?" Roger asked.

"I told you that was a bad idea," Marcos said and he spit some of his blood on Roger. It hit him in the face, arms, and hands and the reaction was immediate. Marcos knew that his blood burned and he watched as Roger screamed to try and get it off of him. He laughed to himself because he knew that those were going leave blisters in some places. It was probably the only defiant act he had left as he watched the Purifers scramble to help their leader. Roger returned with red burns on his skin where Marcos' blood had hit him and a metal bat in hand.

"Let's try this again, shall we?"

They are climbed into the van and let John track Marcos. In Lorna's eyes it took far too long but John said he'd been working on it since Marcos vanished. Now he was just finishing up exactly where they needed to go. Lauren still looked angry, her hands clenched at her sides in fists, but she didn't say anything. The two Strucker siblings sat next to each other but didn't talk and didn't touch. Lora wasn't paying much attention to anyone else; she was too busy chewing a hole in her thumb. John knew where Marcos was and Lorna had to keep from jumping out of the car as they drove a full mile away. The building looked to be almost entirely concrete on the outside and a small side door. They all climbed out of the van and gathered around John as he planned everything.

"I'm the shield," he said. "I can take a bullet which means no one moves in front of me until we know all of the guns are taken care of." Everyone nodded and Lorna tried to make herself focus. It wasn't easy. "Clarice, you're our way out. We need to get back to the car as fast as possible and you'll portal us back. Andy, you're getting us through the door or better yet through the wall. Can you do that without bringing down the entire building?" Andy nodded and John looked at Lauren. "We don't know what they're going to do to him when he attack. As soon as you see Marcos I want a shield around to protect him." Lauren nodded and John looked to Lorna. "Lorna, we need all of those guns out of their hands. I'd appreciate stopping as many bullets as possible too, can you do that?"

"I can," Lorna said.

"Please stay behind me though," John said and Lorna was about to argue when he held up a hand. "Marcos would never forgive me if something happened to you or the baby." Lorna couldn't argue with that and she nodded. The walk to the building felt like an eternity and Lorna didn't listen to what anyone else was talking about. She didn't care. She just wanted to see Marcos alive and away from these people. He was being tortured because he was connected to her and that was not okay. There were cars outside the building and Loran took the time to rip some of the smaller wires in the engines out just so they couldn't get away. There was a single man standing guard and Andy pushed him into a wall and knocked him out. Lorna broke the firing mechanism in his gun and sent the clip halfway across the field. Lorna took up her position behind John and they nodded to Andy. The wall came down and everything was chaos.

Lorna stopped all of the bullets long before they touched John's body. She saw one of Lauren's shields go around a prone person tied to a chair. Lorna ripped all of the guns from the hands of the men and didn't care when she heard them yelling that their fingers were broken. She used the metal in their clothing to throw two against a wall and the one, the one that was standing over Marcos with a bat in hand, he was going to die. The guns were taken care of and she stalked toward the man whom she pinned against a nearby wall. She had every intention of killing him but someone yelled out her name.

"Lorna, that's not what we're here to do," John said. He was breaking zip ties from Marcos' wrists and suddenly Lorna didn't want to be anywhere else. She glared at the man and took his bat into her hands. She threw the bat at his head and he collapsed with a bleeding head wound. Lorna frankly didn't care if he got up again. She raced over to Marcos and looked him over. He was practically glowing from all of the flesh wounds he had and Lorna took great pleasure in ripping the collar from his neck. She crushed the mechanisms as she looked him over. Marcos jerked once the collar was off but didn't open his eyes.

"We made a lot of noise and there are probably more of them," Clarice said as she began to channel a portal.

"Lorna, Lauren, cover me," John said as he easily took Marcos into his arms. Marcos should have been awake and pitching a fit that he was being carried out but he wasn't moving. Clarice opened the portal and they all stepped through before the reinforcements arrived. John laid Marcos in the back of the van and Lorna immediately pulled his head onto her lap. She could feel his blood burning her but Lorna ignored it. That didn't matter because he was safe. Andy and Lauren sat next to each other and they looked at Marcos' bloody and beaten body they took each other's hands and held on tight. John and Clarice were in the front seat and they drove away as quickly as possible.

Lorna looked over Marcos' injuries the best she could but she wasn't a doctor and didn't know what to look for. He was breathing and his pulse felt steady to her but that was all she could tell. Lorna ran her fingers through his hair and tried to ignore how the Strucker siblings were watching her.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," Lorna whispered and Marcos groaned. One of his eyes was swollen shut but one of them opened and looked at her.

"Lorna…" he whispered.

"Yes, I'm here," she said and kissed his forehead. Marcos didn't say anything more as he fell back asleep in her arms. She wished Caitlin was here, she could tell her if he was going to be okay, but they had to wait until they got to the base. The van came to a stop some time later and Lorna was ready to be greeted by people there to help. No one came to the door and when they opened it was John. They were back at the diner where all of this had started. "What's going on?"

"This is where you and Andy get off," John said.

"What? John, he's hurt, he needs someone to help him. We don't have time for this," Lorna said suddenly so angry she could break everything in his van. John, however, didn't look phased at all.

"I know which means the sooner you both get out the sooner I can get him help," John said. "We've moved bases and neither of you can know where the new one is." Andy dropped his sisters hand like it burned him.

"Lauren, Clarice, you can't agree with this," Andy said but Lauren didn't look at her brother. Instead she turned her defiant blue eyes to Lorna.

"I'll sit with him until we get back. He won't be alone," she said.

"Please, Lorna, Andy, you need to go so we can get him help," Clarice said from the front seat. Lorna couldn't believe what she was hearing and when she looked at Andy she realized he was about to tear the van apart too. That wasn't going to help Marcos though and that was all that mattered to her. She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead before Lauren joined her on the floor. She tried not to hate everything as Lauren moved Marcos' head to her lap and took his hand. She also didn't flinch from his burning blood. Lorna climbed out of the van and Andy followed closely behind. John slammed the doors shut and looked at them.

"Thank you for getting him back," John said.

"He's family," Andy said.

"We'd do anything for family," Lorna finished and John narrowed his eyes.

"You'd do anything except stay." John didn't wait for the two of them to respond. He walked to the van and drove away without a backwards glance. Lorna was left standing with Andy, watching the van vanish, for a long time.

"We could have followed it," Andy said.

"We won't," Lorna replied. They walked back to the car and climbed back in. Lorna could feel her daughter jumping for joy that she got to be around her father but the more time went by the more she seemed to settle. Lorna could see that Andy was just as torn up inside as she was but she didn't know how to comfort him. She reached over and squeezed his hand. Andy didn't let go and they drove back to the headquarters without letting go.


End file.
